Guidelines for Student Storytellers

St. Martin’s students in grades 1-8 who are interested in telling an oral or digital story at the 4th Annual World Storytelling Celebration must have a completed entry form submitted to Heidi Cline, Director of Speech and Drama, by Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, 3:30 p.m.

Click here for the entry form. 

A box will be available at the front entry of New Hall by Ms. Woodward’s receptionist desk to receive entry forms. NO ENTRY FORMS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER NOV. 5, 2009. A parent or legal guardian must sign the entry form along with the student. 

All student storytellers must attend at least TWO STORYCOACHING SESSIONS before the event. Storycoaching session dates will be listed on the SMES Web site under WORLD STORYTELLING CELEBRATION in the left menu bar on the home page. Sign-up for Storycoaching slots will begin after Friday, August 29. Please request Storycoaching appointments 48 hours in advance through Spencer Stephens, Drama Assistant. (sstephens@stmartinschool.org) Please continue to visit the Web site for up to the minute information about the World Storytelling Celebration.

Folktales told in the World Storytelling Celebration must be between three and five minutes in length and be one of the following story types; myths, legends, fairy tales, tall tales, fables, historical tales, bilingual tales, or biographical tales. The students should start their performance by introducing themselves, telling what type of story they will be presenting and informing the listener as to what country the story originates from. Folktales told at the World Storytelling Celebration should be rooted in the culture from which it sprang. Ideally, by hearing the story, the audience should learn something interesting and potentially new about that country’s traditions and culture.

The student must tell their story without using written notes in performance. No props or special costuming may be used.

All storytellers should wear their World Storytelling Celebration T-shirt with slacks for the event on Dec. 5. Girls may also wear their T-shirts with skirts. No jeans, please. Students receive their T-shirt after their entry form is submitted and accepted.

By completing the entry form the student is committing to presenting their story on Dec. 5 during their assigned time, in their assigned location. Any scheduling requests for Dec. 5 must be submitted on the student’s entry form and CANNOT BE CHANGED AFTER Nov. 6.

Performance locations and time slots will be assigned by Monday evening, Nov. 30 and will be sent via e-mail.

Upon arriving at the World Storytelling Celebration students should check in at the reception area of New Hall by Ms. Woodward’s desk. The student should then arrive at their performance location 30 minutes before their performance time.

Digital Storytelling Digital storytelling combines the longstanding art of oral storytelling with any of a variety of available multimedia tools, including graphics, audio, and video tools. More information about digital storytelling is available on the World Storytelling Celebration web page. Students who are interested in creating a digital storytelling project will be assigned a Digital Storytelling Storycoach after their idea is approved.

Students who are interested in creating a digital storytelling project should submit their name and idea via e-mail to Spencer Stephens, Drama Assistant. (sstephens@stmartinschool.org) by Monday, September 1.